Weekly Review

This week we highlight the importance of Puerto Ricans being counted in the 2020 Census. We also revisit our #LivingWithRiskConversations and the role of the state in post-disaster responses, and stress the importance of restructuring PREPA’s debt.

This week take a look at the Unemployment Compensation program in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the FOMB’s certification of PREPA’s fiscal plan, and the importance of making data-based decisions when assessing risk and determining how and when to open industrial sectors.

This week we take a look at how the economic austerity discourse has come to dominate the debate about municipal reform in Puerto Rico, peeling back the layers of the official narrative and explaining why it is necessary to change it. Also, with the COVID-19 pandemic still raging in the mainland, the team at CNE is wondering about how Puerto Rico is spending the $13.9 billion it has been allocated in federal funds to address the effects of the pandemic.

There has been a lot going on recently at the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (“PREPA”). This week we dedicate a special edition of the Weekly Review to highlight two recent transactions executed by PREPA that together could have a material adverse effect on Puerto Rico’s electricity sector.

This week we focus on two important issues for Puerto Rico. First, we take a look at recent court decisions holding that Congress cannot discriminate against the residents of Puerto Rico and Guam in the application of the Supplemental Security Income program. Second, we highlight some of the difficulties inherent to case tracking and contact tracing.

This week we present two public policy proposals to advance the bankruptcy process even with the great uncertainty that exists. We also share guidelines for effective oversight in the context of Puerto Rico’s reconstruction and we call on both federal and local authorities to accelerate the timeline of disbursement of federal funds.